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{
    "id": 587672,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/587672/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 82,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "October 1st, 2015 SENATE DEBATES 7 Sen. (Prof.) Lesan",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to reply to the Bill. First and foremost, I want to thank all the Senators who contributed to this Bill. Their contributions gave me a further insight into the Bill and I want to appreciate all of them. I also wish to appreciate members of the public who turned up during the public participation process. From the public participation and from the Senator’s contribution, I have noticed that there is serious interest in the senior citizens of this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Article 57 of the Constitution is very specific and recognizes the presence, the dangers and the risks that the elderly people go through in this country. It has made specific provisions in which the State will come in and assist the elderly. This Bill was meant to give effect to the provisions of Article 57. This has been provided for by several clauses in the Bill. There was debate as to who are old people in this country. There is a range of age that was given but the Bill has stated 65 years as the age for people who are old. Let me state that because of the environment in which we grow, there are many things in this Bill which have wide variations. One of the things is the age of senior citizens. Due to the hostile environment in the country and more so in the countryside, you will find that a person who is 45 years or 60 years old looks physically very old. On the other hand, you will find some individuals who are close to 70 years---- I had the privilege of listening to the President of Tanzania who just spoke to us this afternoon saying that tomorrow is his birthday. He will be 65 years old and yet he looks very young. That is the case with some Kenyans who are 70 years old but look very young. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, our concern is people who are old but have a challenge in maintaining their livelihood or their means for survival. That is why we have the age limit stated as 65 years. This is for operational purposes rather than for selecting individuals to benefit. The persons who will benefit from this Bill are the deserving cases who are suffering due to their inability to provide for themselves. Most documents in the United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) consider a 60 year old person as an elderly person in society and who needs to be assisted. For this purpose, 65 years is the age that we would want to use to define a senior citizen. This age is not compulsory but optional. It is not that every other person of 65 years of age would or must benefit because there are no compulsions or restrictions. We know that in this country there are people who are 60 years and above who are unable to maintain a reasonable standard of living in this country. It is very important that Article 57 is utilized to make provisions for these people. Many Senators said that the African traditions are designed in a manner to take care of the older members of the society. I do not deny this but I am very conscious of the erosion and disappearance of certain African traditions to the extent that the African tradition at the moment is unable to take care of the elderly. I know this because I come from an African society where I have noticed that in the last few years, there has been disintegration of the African society. We know that features like urban migration has had a great effect on the behaviour and practices of the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}